Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Emily BakerSeptember 01, 2017
(via iStock)(via iStock)

Numbers just don't stick on me the way words do

I see numbers and I freeze up

My eyes widen

My chest tightens and my heart races

My breath catches

I feel small, stupid

But I just don’t understand them

I am immune

Instead of burrowing into my mind and claiming it

They simply bounce off

Like my skin is made of metal

Rubber

Some impenetrable material

They say I’m unintelligent

“You should know this by now.”

They say I’m lazy

“You’re not trying hard enough.”

But I just don’t understand them

Maybe I am just stupid

Maybe I am just lazy

 

Or maybe I’m just scared of numbers

 

 

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, by Michael SImone, S.J.
A graphic illustration of a hospital bed with a cross on the wall
Do Catholic hospitals have to choose between mission and the market?
An image of people walking in a straight line with a sunset in the background and a flock of birds in the air
I would argue for two axioms. First, Christian mission induces migration, and, conversely, migration fulfills Christian mission. Second, there is a reciprocal cause-and-effect relationship between Christian mission and migration.
Peter C. PhanMay 16, 2024
A marker in Indianapolis describes the history of a 1907 Indiana eugenics law
Of the many things that the history of eugenics should teach modern society, two stand out in this discussion. First, not all questions are good questions. Second, statistics can be warped to tell you pretty much anything you want.
John P. SlatteryMay 16, 2024